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“It’s perfectly natural to be scared, Ava. But you need to remember you were in a different place with your other relationships. You chose the wrong men based on the fear of being alone. You’ve worked hard to heal that part of yourself and are a lot stronger because of it.” He reached over, grabbed my hand, and gently squeezed it. “You deserve to live a happy and fulfilled life. If you’re interested in Dr. Kind, then see where it goes. But you have to tell him about the others. It’s not even an option.”
“I know. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m crazy as it is.” I breathed out a laugh.
“If he did, he wouldn’t be wanting to spend time with you, would he?”
* * *
Grayson
When I got home from Ava’s, I found Gabriel sitting on my patio with a beer in his hand. I sighed as I opened the sliding door and sat in the lounger next to him.
“What’s going on with you, bro?” he asked. “You know you can’t hide anything from me.”
I grabbed a beer from the table and twisted off the cap. “I don’t know, Gabriel. There’s something about her.” I tipped the bottle to my lips.
“Other than the shit she’s pulled?” His brow arched.
“Yeah.” I breathed out a laugh.
“Bro, I don’t think—”
“I know you don’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s not going to stop me from seeing her again.”
“What does she do for a living?” he asked.
“She’s an interior decorator.”
“Oh yeah? Who does she work for?”
“She’s freelance. You should see how she decorated her apartment. It’s really nice.”
“What else do you know about her?”
“She’s an only child and has lived in Los Angeles her whole life. I’ll learn more about her when I take her to dinner.”
“Has my brother caught some feelings?” The corners of his mouth slightly curved upward as his eye narrowed.
“No. Don’t be ridiculous. She’s an interesting girl. She’s complex, and you know I like figuring out complex things.”
“Are you sure that’s all it is?” he asked in a serious tone.
“Yeah. I’m sure.” I took a sip of my beer.
CHAPTER7
Ava
“Can I ask you something, Charlotte?”
“Of course.” She smiled as she sat in her chair across from the couch.
“Charles told me that you were very ambitious to learn everything you could about the human brain. He said you had your reasons and that it wasn’t his story to tell. He also told me you’re not an expert in my condition, but he knew we’d somehow connect, and you would help me.”
“Ah.” She slowly nodded her head. “When I was twelve years old, my brother, Aiden, stabbed my parents to death in their bed. Then, he came into my room, woke me up, told me he had just killed our parents, and started stabbing me multiple times.”
“Oh my God, Charlotte.” I placed my hand over my mouth.
“Like you, I grew up in many foster homes. Nobody wanted to care for a child who had so many issues. I ended up staying in a group home until I was eighteen. I became obsessed with how the brain worked and needed to find out why my brother did what he did.”
